Education

Education is often referred to as the great equalizer and a key component for social and economic mobility for all Americans. OCA believes that K-12 and higher education must be fully accessible to all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. To this end, OCA’s education priorities include ensuring that student data is disaggregated so that necessary resources can be provided to our most needing communities.

OCA’s K-12 platform also includes efforts to ensure that parents, especially limited English proficient (LEP) parents, are able to understand and access resources necessary for their children’s success. Additionally, OCA advocates to expand anti-bullying measures to include LEP and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. AAPI students are often bullied based on their race and language skills, and LGBT AAPI students often face additional hardship because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. OCA works to ensure that federal protections include everyone within our community.

OCA also remains committed to ensuring that higher education is accessible and affordable for all AAPI students, including undocumented students. OCA’s higher education platform includes a congressional mandate for all public universities to allow the enrollment of undocumented students, along with translations for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and its availability for undocumented students.